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Kenny, Martina, Ray and Carol Crouch have collectively made more than 30 applications to college, and not to all the same places.

Suddenly the screen turned blue — Yale blue — and an image of a bulldog, the university mascot, appeared, followed by “Welcome to the Class of 2014.” Ray, 18, had been offered a spot in the next freshman class, under its early-admission program. Standing behind him, his mother, Caroline, screamed.

But that was only the beginning. Moments later, Ray’s brother, Kenny, also 18, went to the Yale site and got an identical message. He was followed by their sister Carol. Same news. Then the room fell silent. Ray, Kenny and Carol are quadruplets, and their sister Martina had applied to Yale, too.

“I was thinking, it’s going to be really awkward when I don’t get in,” Martina recalled Friday.

But the computer turned blue for her as well, which prompted such an outpouring of joy from their mother that she wrestled their father, Steven, to the floor in a hug.

The Crouches’ perfect batting average represents a first for Yale — the first time in anyone’s memory that it has offered admission to quadruplets. It is also, of course, no small milestone for the siblings, who were born more than two months premature. (Ray was the last to be released from the neonatal unit, more than four months later.)

They made up for that rough start. Their class rankings range from 13 out of a class of 632 (Kenny) to 46 (Martina) — and they have sky-high SAT scores (including Carol’s perfect 800 on the verbal part of that exam).

But whether any one of them, let alone all four, winds up at Yale remains an open question. Under Yale’s early-admission program, accepted applicants can apply to other colleges and need not make up their minds until May 1.

For one thing, money is still an issue. With a father who works for the State of Connecticut as a case manager in the Department of Mental Health, and a stay-at-home mother who is studying for her master’s degree in social work, the quadruplets say their decision will be heavily influenced by financial aid.

“We have to be practical,” Kenny said.

While the family has some savings, the four say they do not want their parents to have to pay much of anything for their education.

As a so-called need-blind institution, Yale commits in advance to meet any admitted applicant’s financial need. But it is the university — and not the student — that defines what that need is. For the Crouches, such calculations will be made further down the road. They have yet to complete their financial aid paperwork.

What they have done, though, is submit applications to other colleges — more than 30 applications, collectively. In fact, Kenny received a phone call last week confirming aHarvard interview.

While all four have also applied to the University of Connecticut — only Martina has received a response, and it was positive — each has also submitted applications to colleges that the others have not. Kenny, a standout sprinter regarded by his siblings as “the brain,” has also applied to Princeton, Williams, Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania, among other institutions.

Martina, an obvious free spirit — she wears a smudge of bright red makeup under each eye, to promote eye contact — is intrigued by Wesleyan, as well as New York University. Ray, a long-distance runner, has applied to Duke and Brown. And Carol, the family’s acknowledged social conscience who wears her brown hair in an oversize Afro, is interested in Boston College, as well as Wesleyan and N.Y.U.

In an e-mail message Friday, Jeffrey Brenzel, the dean of admissions at Yale, said, “Their applications were terrific, and we simply hope that they will all decide to come!”

Asked if Yale had any policy on admitting members of the same family as a package, Mr. Brenzel said, “We don’t feel an obligation to render the same decision on siblings in the same year.”

But Mr. Brenzel said the enormous financial burden facing their parents — four children starting four years of college in the same year — would be a factor in assessing their financial need. He wrote: “All financial aid offices, ours included, always take into account the number of other children in the family in determining an aid award.”

Even before receiving the good news Tuesday, the Crouch children had drawn attention here for their many activities; their acceptances from Yale were reported Friday in two local papers, The Connecticut Post and The News-Times of Danbury.

While the Crouch siblings are similar in many ways — all four love to laugh, and are volunteers at the Danbury Public Library — the essays they submitted to Yale indicate part of what makes each unique.

Carol wrote, in part, about tutoring children in special education. Ray chose a subject that he hoped would catch an admissions officer off guard: his oblique muscles (not just to emphasize his identity as an athlete, but also his propensity for “nonlinear” thinking).

Martina, the iconoclast, built a whole essay on the phrase, “I’m not going to stop you...” which her mother had once uttered to her. Kenny described visiting the village in Nigeria where his mother grew up.

The siblings said their mother and father had met as students at Western Connecticut State University here, and had always emphasized the importance of education.

One advantage that Yale may hold in landing the four Crouch children is that they seem reluctant to part, after being inseparable for so long. Which is not to say they have not imagined what it would be like to go solo.

As Kenny put it: “It might be fun to go somewhere where I’m not ‘one of the quads.’ ”

Friday, December 18, 2009

Perfume types reflect the concentration of aromatic compounds in a solvent, which in fine fragrance is typically ethanol or a mix of water and ethanol. Various sources differ considerably in the definitions of perfume types. The concentration by percent/volume of perfume oil is as follows:

Your thoughts are anchored to a greater reality based off of the symbols that you have in your mind. If you don't have symbols that belong to you...you are operating under the auspices of the symbol maker

Possible interpretation:

Basically ... the things we know, symbols (great example is a Stop sign) aren't things that are already understood, it's something that someone has created for us to understand. (Names of colors, Peace signs and the symbolism behind them..)

Say you make a logo for your band ... it didn't mean anything until you gave it meaning. You tell people what it means and what it stands for, and that's what people believe it to be.So with that quote, symbols of things are given to us at birth...but if you don't have your own meaning of things, you are being controlled by what society has told you to be true.

Monday, December 14, 2009

I grew up with the Simpsons. It was the one show where I got giddy every Sunday night. I was excited to watch every Halloween episode. I was excited for every special guest drawing and voice. I was excited for Bart and his troubles, Lisa and her smartness, and Homer with his signature d'oh. I believe twenty would be a glorious season to finish the series, but as noted in this article, money continues to be coming from the well. There are many strong points made for the show. I stopped watching it back in the late nineties religiously, when I started getting into the higher grades of school I think. I just got bored of the episodes; they just weren't wildly funny as well. The episodes became just a chuckle here or there. I may try to watch the upcoming Sunday episode, to see what I have been missing, and see if there is actual life to the show and whether in my own opinion whether they should continue after gathering a recent episode. GOD, I loved the Simpsons, where have you gone?

(CNN)-- As it turns 20 on Thursday, "The Simpsons' " greatest enemy may be itself.

For many fans -- particularly hard-core followers in the mold of the show's sneering Comic Book Guy -- the glory days are long past. Some refuse to watch anymore; others admit they still find it funny, but they're disappointed the show didn't bow out at the top of its game.

Jacob Burch, an administrator of the "Simpsons" site NoHomers.net, is one of those fans.

The characters have gotten flat, says Burch -- who, at 23, has practically been watching the show his whole life -- and it's more likely to go for cheap laughs nowadays.

"It seems less cohesive, more about trying to get the jokes in there, instead of make a story and let the jokes come off of that," he says, adding, "I just think there's only so much you can do [with the characters]."

On the site, Burch now focuses on the show's history, letting the more passionate fans moderate the chats about current episodes.

John Ortved, author of a new oral history of the show, "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History" (Faber and Faber), agrees. "It's clearly not as good," he says. "I think the only people who think it's good -- or as good as it was -- are [producer] Al Jean and [co-creator]Matt Groening."

Ortved makes the case that despite new writers and characters, the show has fallen out of touch and gotten more craven, playing to guest stars and cross-promoting other Fox shows. "What's been described to me is ... Al Jean just doesn't get it," he says. "The young, hip writers are either getting their jokes annihilated by Al Jean and his sort of yes men, or they've stopped writing them because they know they're going to get rewritten anyway."

While not directly addressing the complaints, Groening and Jean have said "The Simpsons," whose 20th anniversary special is scheduled for January, isn't going anywhere. In February, Groening told CNN that he'd "be surprised if we close up anytime soon. ... The show's still fun to do."

And Jean, who has acknowledged the criticism in interviews, has said he believes the show is still potent. (Neither was available for interviews for this piece.)

Most observers agree the show has declined from its heyday, defined by fans as roughly lasting from seasons three through eight. But then, those episodes set an extremely high bar. Sidebar: The "Simpsons" comedy tree

In the 1990s, "The Simpsons" was one of the most inventive shows ever broadcast, taking on high and low culture with equal abandon, becoming engrained within the culture at large. It was revolutionary; at the very least, it helped make Fox a big-league player.

Today, with its 442 episodes airing all over the world, it's "like the new Disney ... it's iconic," says Chuck Coletta, a pop culture instructor at Bowling Green State University. (Indeed, it's iconic enough to have a ride at Disney competitor Universal Studios Hollywood.)

Colleagues and some fans stand behind Groening and Jean. Seth MacFarlane, whose "Family Guy" has become, to some, the darling "The Simpsons" once was, told Ortved that "it is still funnier than any live-action show that's on television right now. ... 'The Simpsons' has sustained better than 'South Park.' "

And John O'Leary, a Villanova University pop culture professor who has taught "The Simpsons" in his courses, says, "I still enjoy the show. ... I still turn it on and laugh."

Entertainment is full of stories about "jumping the shark," as the plunge into decline has come to be known. Rock 'n' roll fans have mocked the last 25-plus years of Rolling Stones albums; Orson Welles' career is seen as a defining case (though whether the decline started after "Citizen Kane," "Touch of Evil" or "F for Fake" is constantly debated).

In television -- given the competing components of artistic creativity, ratings success and profitability -- picking the right time to say "enough" is a challenge.

Some shows handle the transition gracefully. "The Sopranos" was lauded for going out strongly (though, critics gripe, it wasn't as good as it was in the early days); so were "The Bob Newhart Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Some of the most-praised British shows -- "Fawlty Towers" and "The Office" -- had deliberately short runs and never declined.

But such timing is rare; if they're successful with viewers, TV shows will tend to hang around too long -- and then everything falters at once. By the time it was canceled in 1975, "Gunsmoke" -- which "The Simpsons" recently surpassed in longevity -- was a creaky facsimile of the vibrant, thoughtful Western that dominated television in the late '50s, O'Leary says. "It became about the guest stars," he says. (Some have made the same claim about "The Simpsons.")

"The Simpsons" does have a deep well to draw from, maintains Coletta. In Springfield, nobody ages and there's always someone else -- Mrs. Krabappel, Groundskeeper Willy -- or a new trend to do a story about. Other shows, he observes, run out of steam because actors get older or leave. (In recent years, of course, some live-action shows such as "Law & Order" and "ER" have benefited from cast turnover.)

And as long as a show is attracting viewers, it tends to stay on the air -- especially nowadays when the overall audience for broadcast TV has plunged. "The Simpsons" hasn't been immune to audience erosion, but it still beats its Sunday night competition and does well with the desirable adults, the 18-49 demographic.

It also remains a gold mine. Ortved estimates the show has earned $3 billion over its run, thanks to worldwide syndication and its broad-based empire of merchandising. Maintaining the show is key to the riches, says Michael Stone, CEO and president of the licensing and marketing firm the Beanstalk Group.

"As a vehicle [for licensing], the show is worth having," he says. "Without the show, I think the property is in serious decline." Even "Star Wars" has faded without the films in theaters, he points out.

Hollywood economics also argue for keeping the show on the air. As producer Bill Lawrence, who agreed to bring "Scrubs" back this season, told The New York Times, "In this economic landscape, if you have the chance to continue a project, you don't just say: 'No big deal. I'll go work somewhere else.' "

O'Leary, who studied at UCLA, say his friends in the business are struggling for jobs; a sure paycheck such as "The Simpsons" is attractive, regardless of quality concerns.

Moreover, "The Simpsons" continues to attract new audiences. The show airs in more than 90 countries and still appeals broadly: Youngsters appreciate the bright colors and manic pace; older viewers get jokes about "The Jazz Singer" and media consolidation. Many of O'Leary's and Coletta's students weren't even alive when the show went on the air -- and, even as adults, don't get all the jokes.

"Some of the guest stars on the early episodes -- it's almost like watching an episode of Bugs Bunny when Greta Garbo shows up," Coletta says, noting that many of his students would fail to understand the significance of Elizabeth Taylor's appearance in the fourth season.

He sees the desire to knock "The Simpsons" down (while hoping for a comeback) as "human nature" -- but there's no denying the show's impact.

"You see it with [other shows] -- 'Lost' is the greatest show in the world, then 'Lost' stinks now, then 'Lost' has made a comeback. We just do this over and over and over again," he says. "But I think the big thing about 'The Simpsons' is that, I'm teaching a class that's filled with freshmen now, and they don't know a world without 'The Simpsons.' It's part of life."

Even for skeptics such as Burch. Noting that it's still capable of brilliance, he says he wishes the show well -- even if he can't hide his disappointment.

"It's still, I'm sure, better than the average TV show," he says. "If it's still profitable and the people making it are still enjoying themselves, I don't see why [it can't continue], because every now and then there will be that one episode that has a new mind or a great idea or a great new character."

And Ortved? Even with all he learned about the show -- its backbiting, its disappointments, its becoming the thing it once mocked -- he can't help but admire it. Even today.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Here's a remix of Kid Cudi's track "Cudderisback" by a good friend of ours and extended Wants Vs Needs family member, Booka B! Also, this was posted on a various blogs/sites and since yesterday has already hit over 400 downloads! Big up!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

I watched "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs". The premise of this movie is an inventor that makes a gadget that converts water into food of his choice. Water transformed into food, that rains from the sky, what can go wrong? What if you convert too much? Water was not meant to be radiated.

The movie graphics were dope in general as it was computer-generated imagery. It was cool in a newer tweaked version of say Toy Story graphics.

While watching this I was video conferencing with a friend. She was busy watching Weeds. Weeds is about this suburban mother turned Marijuana dealer comedy. She is on like season three. I went whoa, thats a lot of seasons or so. You need to let me borrow that. It sounds like a cool premise for a show. I decided to start getting "The Boondocks" season one and two as well before season three hopefully starts next year. I went to sleep with the computer on.

I woke up at about seven thirty in the morning. I left my place when I usually do, and barely miss the six bus. I miss the bus because the light at Thirty Fourth street turned red on me as the bus just squeezed by after it being yellow. I had to just wait for the bus with another old lady at Thirty Fourth and Hennepin.